By Michelle Waltos

Librarian

The LibraryFarm, an organic community garden on the grounds of the Northern Onondaga Public Library (NOPL) at Cicero, has seen many changes this year. There were plans to move garden plots, build and install raised beds and improve handicapped accessibility. Many volunteers donated their time, effort and skills to help bring the plans to fruition.

In May, the LibraryFarm welcomed employees from KeyBank who were participating in their annual “Neighbors Make a Difference Day.” The volunteers constructed three handicapped-accessible raised garden beds, filled the beds with soil, built a compost bin and helped with other maintenance in the garden.

Joshua Zehr, a local Eagle Scout, built two raised beds and two wheelchair-accessible picnic tables for the LibraryFarm over the summer, and Girl Scouts from Troop No. 10712 helped to beautify the garden by donating their time to plant flowers.

Along with tending their own individual garden plots, LibraryFarm gardeners also helped to care for food pantry garden beds throughout the growing season. The produce from the community garden is donated to local food pantries, and the yield from this season is set to surpass last season by more than 300 percent!

A dedicated handful of individuals helped out the LibraryFarm in September, constructing nearly 30 more raised garden beds. Air Force ROTC cadets from the Arnold Air Society installed those raised beds and completed other LibraryFarm projects on Saturday, Oct. 1. The work that needed to be done aligned with the theme for their organization’s Joint National Project, which this year is “Fighting Hunger.”

It’s amazing what can be accomplished when the community comes together. We are grateful to all those who donated their valuable time and skills to make the LibraryFarm’s growing season such a success!